I'm an Addict.....a Coffee Addict, that is!

If you've read the short little intro about myself (at the top of my blog's side bar) or have followed my blog long enough, you'd know I'm quite the coffee addict!  I'm addicted to coffee (like Robert Palmer is addicted to love)! :D

But you'll also be very surprised to learn from this post that I'm addicted to our cheap local coffee...lol, first and foremost, and not those more expensive coffees like the lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos, espressos, Americanos and whatnots (though I like them too, after all, they're still coffees!).  When it comes to coffee (and tea), our local coffee (or tea) is the best.  Some might say I'm biased.....but, I assure you, I'm not.  Maybe it's because it just suits our local tastebuds better.

I can't start my mornings without a cup of coffee.  My favourite cup of coffee, one I grew up drinking, is none other than our very own local kopi-o (which is black coffee + sugar)......and it must be kaw (strong) but not too kaw (and less sweet) for me.  This beats an Americano anytime.  If the coffee gives off some kind of a transparent look, then that's kopi pok (which means thin or diluted) and that's a no no! ;D

I don't know what is it about this black coffee aroma that gets me every time I take a sip...it just starts me off right in the mornings.  Of course, the taste differs from one coffee shop to another depending on the coffee beans each shop uses.  Some are more bitter, some are acidic, some have a sourish tang and some just lack the fragrant aroma.  Don't ask me to describe the taste and smell of the kopi-o I like, I just know it when I drink it.

As good as a cup of kopi-o can be, a glass of kopi-o-ping (kopi-o with ice) is even better in our climate.  I go for that in the hot afternoons but sometimes I can't resist them in the mornings too.  I usually have my kopi-o min-tim (less sweet) and, sometimes, kosong (which means no sugar) though that's a rarity as some of the kopi-o is really kaw (thick) and, for that, you'll need a little bit of sugar to counter the bitterness.

For me, the kopi-o doesn't need to be brilliant, it just needs to be good.  From my jalan-jalan cari makan, I already know of some places that serve a good cup of kopi-o but I won't necessarily seek out well-known kopitiams or far away places just for that.  If I happen to be there for food and I know they serve a mean cup of kopi-o, then I'll have one.  Luckily, I have a couple of good ones in my taman where I can have my daily fix...and you'll be surprised to learn that many come from unpretentious coffee shops and not those Hainanese kopitiams that serve eggs, toast and coffee.  Plus, there's really no point to say which coffee shops are good as some would change their coffee beans (when there's a change in hands) and then it goes from good to bad! >_<

For some reason, I've never developed a fondness for kopi (coffee + condensed milk).  Neither do I ever order kopi-c (coffee + evaporated milk + sugar) or kopi yin yeong (coffee + tea + milk).  Well, I'm not a fan of anything 'c' really as I don't fancy the taste of evaporated milk all that much.

Although I may not be much of a condensed or evaporated milk fan with coffee.....I absolutely adore white coffee (and they don't necessarily have to be from Ipoh either). ;P

My favourite one in KL (for now) is from Restoran Ah Koong in Pudu.  Incidentally, they sell their instant white coffee satchets at their shop too and the only reason why I've not brought them home with me is because I'd end up drinking them daily and I shouldn't since they're the 3-in-1 type (aka with sugar).

Closer to home (in my taman itself), I've two that can fulfill my white coffee craving (in San May King and Chang Kitchen).

If I need a white coffee fix at home, I rely on Papparich's white coffee (with stevia) instant coffee (not OldTown, Chang Jiang or Nam Heong).  I like it that you can even get that nice bit of foam on top too.  Till now, I've not found a kopi-o that comes out of a satchet that I truly love (Aik Cheong came close, the taste and aroma was there but when I reached the bottom of the cup, there's this unpleasant powdery residue that lingers in the mouth).  Know of any that I should try? ;)

Although I'm a coffee addict first, I don't mind having tea once in a while....and, by that, I don't mean those fancy-schmancy English-type tea where you sip with your pinky up like a snobbish royal or tai-tai (but if it's an Afternoon Tea with savoury and sweet treats, that I can make an exception-lah...hehe).

If it had to be tea, I'd rather enjoy a good premium Chinese tea (or one of those flowering teas) than English tea really.

The type of tea I do like is our local teh (tea with condensed milk) but not teh-c (tea with evaporated milk).  I love it especially when it arrives frothy and all....though not all teh made by Chinese coffee shops are like that.

But the teh tarik (which is tea that's pulled between two glasses) made by Inidan/mamak shops is.  That process of pulling/pouring the teh between two metal mugs, while cooling down the tea, also makes it all foamy and delicious (but have to make sure to ask for less sweet-lah, otherwise it's always coyingly sweet).  These mamak shops also offers a version with ginger juice referred to as teh halia which I initially thought would be a very weird combination until I tried it....and liked it instantly...it's rather refreshing (and opens up one's appetite).

My son, on the other hand, is a teh fella.  Teh-peng (tea with milk & ice) or teh tarik ais is his preferred drink.  He also likes teh-o (tea + sugar) but only if it comes with lemon (as in ice lemon tea) or lime (teh-o limau ais)....lol.  Well, basically, anything teh-lah (but not those western-type teas).

 

Of course, a beautiful marriage between the two would be cham (which is a combination of coffee + tea with condensed milk).

I rarely order cham but I did enjoy Ah Weng Koh's Hainan Tea (which is also a blend of coffee & tea and not just tea as the name implies) and so did my son.  Of course, there's also cham-c and cham-o.

I once had this rather unique cham ice with coffee sorbet...local coffee meets sophistication?  Lol.

Enough of our local coffee (and tea) already.....how about giving our kwai-lo coffee some love?  Although I'm not for milk when it comes to our local coffees...but for western-type coffees, like the lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites, I need them to come with milk, for sure.  I'm not fond of their black coffees, like espressos or Americanos, as the acidity of some of these coffees can get to me.

I'd probably say iced latte is my most favourite and that's because of its higher content of milk to coffee to lend sweetness and mellow the taste of some very strong coffee beans!

Nowadays, they even do flavoured lattes....with hazelnut, nutella, salted caramel, coconut, cinnamon, macadamia, etc., even sweet (purple) potato.  Some turned out really good like this iced hazelnut latte...and now it's my most favoured...and most ordered flavoured latte.

But if you like a bit of chocolaty flavour, then you can try an iced nutella latte.

Even the iced sweet potato latte turned out pretty good too which was a bit of a surprise.

The caramel flavoured latte wasn't as endearing as it turned out too sweet for me (what else could it be other than sweet, it's called caramel after all, right?). @_@

But the iced caramel macchiato was a different story...this I liked.

Some combinations can be quite unique but not necessarily tasty like this Americano with cream soda.

Including this coconut latte....

...a banana latte (and a blueberry latte) I once had which turned out rather weird tasting (or let's just say it needs some getting used to).

Some people enjoy a matcha latte...not me though, I don't like anything matcha.

Another not to my liking was this almond latte probably because I don't like almond desserts either.

I even once had coffee in the form of Darth Vader-shaped frozen coffee cubes! O_o

There's even ice blended coffee...with a texture like shaved ice in cendol. :D

And finally, how about coffee in a cone where you can eat up the coffee cup too after you've finished your coffee...lol.  Well, if you've noticed from the pics above, I tend to love iced coffees over hot ones (who wouldn't in our kind of hot weather) but I also order hot coffees and that's purely down to the latte art.....I want to drink something nice but I like it pretty too. ^_~

Then, there are coffees from other lands.

Like Thai Coffee which I've never really taken a liking to.

Nor their Thai tea but at least it's still bearable compared to their coffee.

The same with Hong Kong Coffee......I don't have an affinity to them....be it hot or cold.

Though cold is somewhat more drinkable than hot (which I used to like but not so much now).

When it comes to Hong Kong teas, I'm also not a fan.

For Hong Kong milk tea, it's common to see them served in a bucket of ice...and that's to keep it cold as well as to prevent the ice from diluting the tea.

Don't even mention Vietnamese Coffee....had their drip coffee once....first and last time.  It's bitter and way too strong for me (even stronger than espresso).  Maybe it's because I had it black.  It's much more palatable with milk...but still not my cup of tea (or coffee, in this case).

As for Indonesian Coffee.....Kopi Luwak (or Civet Coffee), I've never had it before, so obviously no picture-lah.  Well, I'm not about to pay a super expensive price tag (not that I can afford it anyway) for something that comes out of someone's or something's rear end.  Feces.....poop...well, that doesn't sound anything remotely inviting to me at all...lol! :O

And what about Irish Coffee....well, all I can say is don't even go there...unless you're an alcoholic drinker as this combination of whiskey and hot coffee is not for the faint-hearted! :O

So there.....I've finally done a piece on one of my most favourite things to do...sipping coffee...and watching the world go by....no, scratch that last part, unless I'm Louisa Clark sipping coffee on the sidewalk of a Parisian cafe (in that last scene from Me Before You, one of my favourite tearjerker romance films of all time which never fails to bring a tear to my eyes).

This post was a labour of love (well, I seem to have more time on my hands these days anyway) as well as a trip down memory lane reminiscing some of the places (some of which have since closed...so sad) where I had some of my coffee experiences.  In the end, I admit I'm a coffee addict......but more of a local coffee addict first coz there's nothing like a good cup of kopi-o or white coffee (similarly a glass of kopi-o-ping or iced white coffee) in the mornings to get me going.  Of course I love my lattes and cappuccinos too (check out this updated post on some of the places where I like to get my coffee fix).

Coffee is on! ^o^